From theory to practice: the three Italian Masters of Wine will produce their wine in Sicily

Who knows if, in the midst of a myriad of masterclasses, conferences and consultations, in the company of producers, prominent figures and celebrities, we will one day see them busy among the rows pruning or harvesting: in the meantime, the three Italian Masters of Wine - Gabriele Gorelli, Andrea Lonardi and Pietro Russo - have bought a vineyard in Sicily, determined to produce their own wine. Which is expected to be at least perfect, given that it comes from the experience of those who, along their path to win the most coveted, important and complex title in the world of wine, have tasted thousands and thousands of labels, produced in the most important territories of international enology. It is called “Officina del Vento” the vineyard-manifesto, a hectare of land in the Stagnone nature reserve in Marsala, purchased in 2022. The first bottles of Grillo will be ready in late summer. “It is not an entrepreneurial project”, say the three Masters of Wine, “but a way to restore a future to an area devoted to and now in a state of neglect”.
It all began when Sicilian Pietro Russo (last in order to win, in 2024, the title of Master of Wine, thus joining Tuscany's Gabriele Gorelli, first Italian ever, in 2021, and Veneto's Andrea Lonardi, in 2023) pointed out an abandoned vineyard to his friends, with whom he shared a years-long study. The area is that of the Stagnone, a nature reserve in Marsala, a stone’s throw from the sea, with a typical lagoon habitat, shallow waters and 30-year-old plants, but currently in a state of decay, with parking lots and premises. Immediately the decision was made to buy it, to turn the spotlight on an area with great potential, with the desire to attract new investment here, perhaps from young producers, to whom the three experts provide their know-how and vision. Hence also the name of the vineyard, inspired by a “wind of the future” concept. The goal is to revive this area that enjoys a great oenological vocation, where the vines do not suffer drought due to an abundance of fresh water in the subsoil and the grapes have character thanks to the salt.
The first 4,000 bottles will be ready at the end of the summer, made from Grillo grapes harvested in 2023, aged in steel and only minimally in barrique. “We want them to feel the grapes and the sea, not the wood. Great whites can be made here, and with this project we would like to prove it”, Pietro Russo - who oversaw all winemaking at a local winery - told “Cook” of Corriere della Sera.